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June Swift
Grand Rapids
Hero Story
June’s positive attitude and heartwarming smile are contagious, and she has recruited several volunteers who remain in the Foster Grandparent Program today. June has served with the Foster Grandparent Program for over 8 years. She works with the entire class on many occasions. There are usually about 23 students in the class and if you multiply by 8 years, that is 184 students that she has served over the past 8 years with many success stories. She helps in other classrooms as well.
It warms the heart to witness her in action: engaging the students in their studies to achieve their goals. She goes above and beyond the call of duty to ensure all students receive the special (I Read a Book) postcards to take home to parents stating they successfully read a book. This is a great incentive and students love and appreciate them.
June refuses to work with just a small group of students but wants to make a difference with almost the entire classroom of students each year. She is well-loved and respected by countless teachers as she serves children in 5+ classrooms. Receiving wonderful mid-year and year-end evaluations from all teachers is the norm for June, and they all want to ensure that she returns each school year.
There is a great success rate with year-end demographics showing the success rate of June’s students. Currently, June is also following 5 second-chance students from last year as a new pilot program to ensure their continued success as they pass on to the next grade.
One of June’s success stories is as follows:
Amy- not real name (due to confidentiality) Kindergarten at Harrison Park
Amy is a repeater as a kindergarten student. The 1st year she was in kindergarten, she could not write her name or recognize the letters in her name. As a volunteer for GRPS through Senior Neighbors, she has helped Amy learn to write her name, recognize the alphabet, learn how to follow directions, and listen to her teacher. She now has much more confidence as a student and wants to succeed. Senior Neighbor is a great help to GRPS and to children that need attention.
One teacher in 2019 wrote:
"The whole classroom has increased scores" (2019)
June has a great reputation at Harrison Park School as well as at Standale Baptist Church. She goes above and beyond the call of duty to ensure student success. She feels great realizing that she has completed her work by accomplishing the goals she set for herself.
The Sebastian Foundation did a site visit of a summer school site (CA Frost Academic Center) where June was volunteering. They were impressed with June’s knowledge, experience, and how she served the students. She was excellent in explaining what teachers and students needed–which is what she does on a daily basis–while giving them a tour of the classrooms where she assists. They were so impressed with their experience at the school, the representatives from the Sebastian Foundation changed from supporting just alternative schools to elementary schools. The experience was quite heartwarming!!
June Swift
Grand Rapids
Hero Story
June’s positive attitude and heartwarming smile are contagious, and she has recruited several volunteers who remain in the Foster Grandparent Program today. June has served with the Foster Grandparent Program for over 8 years. She works with the entire class on many occasions. There are usually about 23 students in the class and if you multiply by 8 years, that is 184 students that she has served over the past 8 years with many success stories. She helps in other classrooms as well.
It warms the heart to witness her in action: engaging the students in their studies to achieve their goals. She goes above and beyond the call of duty to ensure all students receive the special (I Read a Book) postcards to take home to parents stating they successfully read a book. This is a great incentive and students love and appreciate them.
June refuses to work with just a small group of students but wants to make a difference with almost the entire classroom of students each year. She is well-loved and respected by countless teachers as she serves children in 5+ classrooms. Receiving wonderful mid-year and year-end evaluations from all teachers is the norm for June, and they all want to ensure that she returns each school year.
There is a great success rate with year-end demographics showing the success rate of June’s students. Currently, June is also following 5 second-chance students from last year as a new pilot program to ensure their continued success as they pass on to the next grade.
One of June’s success stories is as follows:
Amy- not real name (due to confidentiality) Kindergarten at Harrison Park
Amy is a repeater as a kindergarten student. The 1st year she was in kindergarten, she could not write her name or recognize the letters in her name. As a volunteer for GRPS through Senior Neighbors, she has helped Amy learn to write her name, recognize the alphabet, learn how to follow directions, and listen to her teacher. She now has much more confidence as a student and wants to succeed. Senior Neighbor is a great help to GRPS and to children that need attention.
One teacher in 2019 wrote:
"The whole classroom has increased scores" (2019)
June has a great reputation at Harrison Park School as well as at Standale Baptist Church. She goes above and beyond the call of duty to ensure student success. She feels great realizing that she has completed her work by accomplishing the goals she set for herself.
The Sebastian Foundation did a site visit of a summer school site (CA Frost Academic Center) where June was volunteering. They were impressed with June’s knowledge, experience, and how she served the students. She was excellent in explaining what teachers and students needed--which is what she does on a daily basis--while giving them a tour of the classrooms where she assists. They were so impressed with their experience at the school, the representatives from the Sebastian Foundation changed from supporting just alternative schools to elementary schools. The experience was quite heartwarming!!